An image recording apparatus, including a body including a path to convey a sheet from a feeder tray to an ejection tray; a conveyer unit to convey the sheet; a recording unit to record an image on the sheet; and a controller to control the conveyer unit and the recording unit, is provided. The controller is configured to execute a ejection request accepting process, in which the controller accepts a request for executing a sheet ejection job being a single job to eject the sheet without causing a recording action in the recording unit; and a sheet ejecting process, in which, after accepting the request for executing the sheet ejection job, the controller controls the conveyer unit to convey the sheet from the feeder tray to the ejection tray without causing the recording action in the recording unit.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. An image recording apparatus, comprising: a body comprising a path, along which a sheet is conveyed from a feeder tray to an ejection tray; a conveyer configured to convey the sheet along the path; a recording unit configured to record an image on the sheet being conveyed; and a controller configured to control the conveyer and the recording unit, wherein the controller is configured to execute: an ejection request accepting process, in which the controller accepts a request for executing a sheet ejection job, the sheet ejection job being a single job to eject the sheet from the feeder tray at the ejection tray without causing a recording action to record an image on the sheet in the recording unit; and a sheet ejecting process, in which, after accepting the request for executing the sheet ejection job, the controller controls the conveyer to convey the sheet from the feeder tray to the ejection tray without causing the recording action in the recording unit, wherein the controller is configured to control the conveyer to convey the sheet during the sheet ejecting process at a faster conveyer conveying speed than a conveyer conveying speed to convey the sheet during a print job, in which the image is recorded on the sheet by the recording unit.
An image recording apparatus (like a printer) has a paper path from the feeder tray to the output tray. A conveyor moves paper along this path. A recording unit (print head) puts images on the paper. A controller manages the conveyor and the recording unit. The controller handles "ejection jobs" -- where a sheet is moved from the feeder to the output without printing anything. The controller moves the paper FASTER during the ejection job than it does during a normal print job where the recording unit is used.
2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the body comprises an input device, through which an operation from a user to input the request for executing the sheet ejection job to the controller is accepted.
The image recording apparatus from the previous description also has an input device (like a button or touchscreen) on the body of the device. A user can initiate a sheet ejection job using this input. The input device sends the request to the controller.
3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the input device is configured to accept the request for executing the sheet ejection job to the controller in a single action by the user.
The image recording apparatus' input device, described previously, accepts a sheet ejection request from the user with a SINGLE ACTION. So, one button press, one tap, one voice command triggers the ejection process to start, instead of requiring multiple steps.
4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a feeder configured to feed the sheet from the feeder tray to the conveyer, wherein the controller is configured to control the feeder to feed the sheet during the sheet ejection process at a faster feeder conveying speed than a feeder conveying speed to convey the sheet during a print job, in which the image is recorded on the sheet by the recording unit.
The image recording apparatus described previously includes a feeder that moves sheets from the input tray to the conveyor. During a sheet ejection job, the controller makes the feeder move the paper FASTER than it does during a print job. This faster speed only applies to the feeder mechanism and complements the faster conveyor speed during ejection.
5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the path serves as a printer path for the sheet to be conveyed therein during a print job, in which the image is recorded on the sheet by the recording unit, and a sheet-ejection path for the sheet to be conveyed therein during the sheet ejection job.
The paper path in the image recording apparatus, as described earlier, is used BOTH for regular printing AND for sheet ejection jobs. It's a single path that serves both functions.
6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the path comprises a printer path for the sheet to be conveyed therein during a print job, in which the image is recorded on the sheet by the recording unit, and a sheet-ejection path for the sheet to be conveyed therein during the sheet ejection job, the printer path and the sheet-ejection path being at least partially separated from each other.
The paper path inside the image recording apparatus described above has a path for normal printing and a SEPARATE path (at least partially) for the sheet ejection job. So the printer path and the ejection path are not 100% the same.
7. An image recording apparatus, comprising: a body comprising a path, along which a sheet is conveyed from a feeder tray to an ejection tray; a conveyer configured to convey the sheet along the path; a recording unit configured to record an image on the sheet being conveyed; and a controller configured to control of the conveyer and the recording unit, wherein the body comprises an input device, through which an operation from a user to input a request for executing a sheet ejection job to the controller is accepted by a single action from the user, the sheet ejection job being a single job to eject the sheet from the feeder tray at the ejection tray without causing a recording action to record an image on the sheet in the recording unit, wherein the controller is configured to execute a sheet ejection process in which, after the input device accepts the request for executing the sheet ejection job, the controller controls the conveyer to convey the sheet from the feeder tray to the ejection tray without causing the recording action in the recording unit, and wherein the controller is configured to control the conveyer to convey the sheet during the sheet ejecting process at a faster conveying speed than a conveying speed to convey the sheet during a print job, in which the image is recorded on the sheet by the recording unit.
An image recording apparatus (like a printer) has a paper path from the feeder tray to the output tray. A conveyor moves paper along this path. A recording unit (print head) puts images on the paper. A controller manages the conveyor and the recording unit. An input on the device allows users to start a "sheet ejection job" (moving paper from input to output without printing) with a SINGLE ACTION. The controller moves the paper FASTER during this ejection job than it does during a normal print job.
8. An image recording apparatus, comprising: a body comprising a path, along which a sheet is conveyed from one of a plurality of feeder trays to an ejection tray, the plurality of feeder trays being configured to support different-typed sheets respectively, the different-typed sheets including a first sheet; a conveyer configured to convey the sheet along the path; a recording unit configured to record an image on the sheet being conveyed; a memory device configured to store sheet-type information for each of the plurality of feeder trays, the sheet-type information being information regarding a type of the sheet supported on the feeder tray; and a controller configured to control the conveyer and the memory device, wherein the controller is configured to execute, when the controller receives a request for executing a sheet ejection job from a user, the sheet ejection job being a single job to eject the first sheet from one of the plurality of feeder trays at the ejection tray: a tray-selecting process, in which the controller selects the one of the plurality of feeder trays to support the first sheet based on the sheet-type information; and a sheet ejecting process, in which the controller controls the conveyer to convey the first sheet supported on the one of the plurality of feeder trays selected in the tray-selecting process without recording the image on the sheet in the recording unit.
An image recording apparatus has multiple input trays for different paper types. A conveyor moves paper to the output tray. The recording unit prints. A memory stores information about the paper type in each tray. When the user requests a sheet ejection, the controller SELECTS the tray with the correct paper type based on the stored information. The controller then ejects the paper WITHOUT printing.
9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the sheet-type information includes at least one of print-history information, which is obtained from a result of a past print job performed in the recording unit formerly, and sheet-setting information, which is setting for each of the plurality of feeder trays preset by the user.
In the multi-tray image recording apparatus described previously, the stored "paper type information" includes EITHER printing history (from past print jobs) OR user settings. The system uses at least one of these data sources to know what kind of paper is in each tray.
10. The image recording apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein, in the tray-selecting process, when the memory device stores both the sheet-setting information and the print-history information as the sheet-type information for one of the plurality of feeder trays, the controller determines the type of the sheet supported on the one of the plurality of feeder trays based on the print-history information.
In the multi-tray image recording apparatus, sometimes the memory has BOTH printing history AND user settings for a particular tray. In that case, the controller prioritizes the PRINT HISTORY to determine the paper type for the sheet ejection job. The recent printing history overrides user settings.
11. The image recording apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein, after the past print job to record the image on the sheet fed from one of the plurality of feeder trays was completed correctly, in the tray-selecting process, the controller determines whether the one of the plurality of feeder trays experienced any of removal from the body, refill of the sheet, shutting down power to the image recording apparatus, or change in the sheet-setting information, and if the controller determines that the one of the plurality of feeder trays experienced none of removal from the body, refill of the sheet, shutting down power to the image recording apparatus, or change in the sheet-setting information, the controller uses the print-history information obtained from the result of the past print job as the sheet-type information for the one of the plurality of feeder trays.
After a successful print job from a tray in the multi-tray apparatus, the controller checks if certain events have happened before using print history as paper type: removal of the tray, paper refill, turning off the printer, or changes to the user paper settings for the tray. If NONE of those events occurred, the controller trusts the previous print history for the tray and uses it to determine paper type for a sheet ejection job.
12. The image recording apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the controller is configured to obtain size information, the size information including at least one of a dimension of the sheet along a conveying direction and a dimension of the sheet along a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction during the past print job which was completed correctly, and wherein the print-history information includes size information.
The multi-tray apparatus described previously also stores paper SIZE information (length and width) as part of the print history. This size data is obtained during past successful printing operations and is used to determine the correct paper type.
13. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the memory device stores reference size information regarding a reference size for the sheet, and wherein, if the plurality of feeder trays include a plurality of regular-sheet feeder trays to support regular-typed paper, in the tray-selecting process, the controller selects one of the plurality of regular-sheet feeder trays that supports the sheet of a size closest to the reference size.
In the multi-tray apparatus with sheet ejection capabilities described earlier, the memory stores a "reference paper size". If the printer has multiple trays with regular paper, the controller picks the tray that contains paper closest in size to this reference size when ejecting a sheet.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
March 31, 2016
August 15, 2017
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.